It isn’t a secret that this is a crunchy parenting blog and we are a co-sleeping family. Co-Sleeping is a popular parenting choice for many who believe in attachment parenting. Over the years more and more is learned about this parenting choice that isn’t new at all. This choice is made with the given information available on safe infant sleep. I don’t suggest others co-sleep as I don’t give advice beyond suggesting parents do their own research.

 

I was rather taken back when I was approached by a company to promote an article they wrote on baby sleep. Companies do this in hopes of getting more readers and a better google ranking so they will be the first source viewed when parents look up co-sleeping. Most companies pay for such space as it is a lot of work running a blog and the costs to host Data online isn’t cheap. This campaign though was designed to pull at heart strings and make ever Mom want to save babies lives. Who wouldn’t want to keep babies from dying from SIDS? I had in the past turned this company down for space on my blog with their less than interesting and overly marketed topics, but wanted to see what I was missing this time. I wish I would have simply not responded as what they wanted me to promote was information from a shady study that was little more than a marketing ploy.

It states how parents should not sleep with their babies but rather babies sleep on their own. It links to a site on SIDS. I was going to share this but I didn’t want to give them more attention and what might amount to support.

The study they are going off of is the 1999 one that is very flawed. It showed that in 8 years about 65 babies per year died in a bed. Some got caught between the mattress and wall or head board, some where smothered by parents drunk or on drugs, and others died in water beds. It really is tragic. Those cases where not however safe standard co-sleeping because co-sleeping parents tend to have beds on the floor, away from walls, low or no blankets and do NOT drink or do drugs and if they must be on medication or sick they have another parent safely co-sleep or side car the baby so they are close but safe.

In that same 8 year period over 4,000 babies died of SIDS per year. Most of them alone in cribs. The number difference is staggering wouldn’t you say. Where again is the safest place for baby? Alone in a crib where over 4,000 babies die a year or safely co-sleeping?

The studies get even more scary when one considers that they are being paid for by and pushed by Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) is co-sponsoring this campaign. The JPMA? An association of crib manufacturers. 

I clearly choose not to share the post the company wanted me to share. I feel like there need to be more talk about safe and unsafe cosleeping. My family chooses to practice safe co-sleeping. It may not be safe for your family for so many reasons. Some of the reasons not to co-sleep are if a parent smokes, or drinks, or does drugs, is injured, sleeps deeply, has sleep apnea, is sleep deprived, is sick, the bed is fluffy, if they use pillows and blankets, and even a parents weight can be a reason to not co-sleep. The science is out there to help you make the right choice for your baby if you go looking for it. Don’t sleep on sofas with your baby or recliners, those are never safe places!

Wishing you and your little ones best and safest sleep possible!